Alternative Finances

Alternative Finances
Bondholders Throw Shade On Prosper’s Portfolio
March 28, 2016

Bondholders just gave online lending a big thumbs down as they reportedly only bought in once yields on a portfolio of Prosper loans were jacked up a full five percentage points higher than a comparable offering a year ago. Is this further evidence that online...

Square’s New Lending Push
March 25, 2016

Square is expanding Square Capital to include bank loans to small businesses that use its payments services, according to The Wall Street Journal. Different from the cash advances offered today, loans will carry a maximum term of 18 months but can be repaid sooner. These...

Alternative Finances
FICO’s New BFFs
March 22, 2016

It was just a few months ago that FICO’s fading and inevitable fall was being widely speculated. Fair Isaac Corporation — the entity behind the FICO score — is an American institution that has existed for over 60 years. The FICO score itself has been a central part...

SMB Online Lender StreetShares Secures $4.5M
March 15, 2016

StreetShares, an online lender that offers loans to small businesses — many of them veteran-run — has secured another batch of funding. The company, founded by CEO Mark Rockefeller, announced that it has secured a $4.5 million Series A round but noted that the round is...

Changing Regulatory Weather For Online Lenders
March 15, 2016

The post recession period in general — and the first half of the 2010s specifically — have at various times and in various publications been described as a “perfect storm.” A storm that the plethora of online lenders stepped in to fill. Though they come in a variety of...

Alternative Finances
Blackstone Backs UK Online Lender’s $171M Round
March 15, 2016

Future Finance, an online lending startup specializing in student loans, secured £119 million ($170 million) in funding from investors, including QED Investors and Blackstone Strategic Opportunity Fund. Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all...

Alternative Finances
Prosper’s Financial Wellness App Hits The Market
March 11, 2016

Marketplace lender Prosper launched its first mobile app, designed to provide customers with the tools to help make smarter financial decisions, the company announced on Thursday (March 10). Get the Full Story Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to...

Alternative Finances
Tech — And A Human Touch — In SME Lending
March 10, 2016

Newly launched CapitalFront is bringing working capital financing and other lending products to SMEs. CEO Brian Simon discusses the ways a tech-oriented firm can use experience (and follow-up) to serve smaller firms more efficiently than traditional lenders.

Alternative Finances
One Fast-Growing Prepaid Market You’re Probably Overlooking
March 09, 2016

There’s a $4.9 billion prepaid market opportunity right under your nose, where transaction volume is on the rise and adoption is soaring. But where is it? Join Peter Read, President of Peoples Card Services and MPD CEO Karen Webster for a digital discussion on Tuesday,...